The Iloilo Diaries: Eats & Restaurants Over Christmas Break

We all know Christmas as Filipinos entail hoards of food at parties with friends, colleagues & the traditional Noche Buena we spend with our families. It’s rows & rows of fatty, oily food, mounds of rice & the word diet is nowhere near anyone’s mind during the season. I was not spared from this, of course. It was a food-filled holiday season – pre, during & post-25th. Here are some of my food chronicles for the past week:

Upon arrival at Iloilo, I was greeted by a family grill night. The liempo was my favourite – so succulent! And the marinade was the bomb. Soda, wine & beer followed suit.

A few days after, our grade school class reunion happened at a classmate’s establishment, Tavern on the 10th Streetin Aurora Subdivision. The reunion was intimate & fun but one of the highlights were the food & drinks prepared. For the drinks, we had Blue Lagoon, Strawberry Twister, Tequila Sunrise & (my favourite) Mojito. Not only were they good mixes, but they transported us to different levels of giggles & dizziness. Haha!

The munchies were a collection of pulutan-pairings: chicken skin, chicken fingers, fries, nachos, & the thing I have been craving for days on end, the crazy potatoes. Their respective sauces & condiments were wonderful complements.Tavern serves good drinking grub but the meals are great as well! Their sizzling brownie is also a must-try.

It was also time to catch up with my equally weight-gaining college friends at a new Korean-Vitnamese restaurant at Boardwalk called Kogi & Vegi. Their servings were good for sharing as a group. A meat platter set (around Php1200) serves 3 kinds of meat to grill, with side dishes, soup & rice. But we over ordered & added some bulgogi & Korean chicken. The entire meal was a table & a half long & was good for maybe 8-10 persons. And to think we finished everything!!! But no regrets! Good stuff, this Kogi & Vegi place. We just had to apologise to our jeans.

As usual, we drop by the store where our friend, Micah, works after our heavy meal. I get myself a cup of Madge coffee from Butlak to let the stomach settle & she gives me French Punitions to try. These little shortbread cookies remind me of macarons but are more delicate, smooth in texture & has dulce de leche in the middle! These are available for P18/pc at Moonleaf. Fun fact, it literally means punishment in François. I would’t mind, really.

These are just some of the fare I had for the holiday season! Was your just as food-filled? I also ate at two other restaurants, separate posts to follow!